iPhone 5 to have aluminium back cover and small dock connector?

A photo that sources claim is the back of the new iPhone - possibly the iPhone 5 - has emerged on the internet and it’s apparently made of aluminium.

The covers landed on the desk of iFixyouri and though it's difficult to gauge an idea of screen size, for example, it's gone into detail as to what we might be able to expect from the new iPhone based on the cover.

For example, the docking port at the bottom of the cover is far smaller and thinner than previous models. This in turn looks as though it has created more estate for bigger and therefore more-enhanced speakers.

The other key feature is that the back plate is made from one solid piece of aluminium alloy. Judging by the leaked picture, this has given the new iPhone a charcoal shade, and the same source that leaked the cover to iFixyouri says he has seen “at least two other colors (sic) for the back plate”.

Whether this leak is genuine or not, only time will tell, but it’s worth noting that iFixyouri have been fairly reliable in the past including being the first to reveal there would be a white version of the iPad 2.

UPDATE More pics of the new iPhone have been revealed, including one of the front cover.

No sooner had one image of the back cover to the new iPhone emerged than a host of others raise their metallic-coated heads.

The latest images show both a black and white version of the phone, with two borders at either end surrounding what we’re led to believe is an aluminium body.

The smaller dock is much clearer in these pictures while the headphone jack has also been moved to sit alongside it. The gap between the rear-facing camera and the LED flash has also got bigger – perhaps to make room for a microphone for video recording.

9to5mac.com has also published a photo of what it says is the front of the new iPhone. While it speculates that it shows the new iPhone being the same width as the iPhone 4S, but taller, making room for a possible 3.999-inch display, what is clear is that the front-facing camera has been moved to the centre of the device.

Would you like to see an aluminium back cover on the next iPhone? Let us know.